imprisoned love
by fallingforthecaptain
Summary: Daryl took the fall for his brother so he wouldn't go to jail for a long time. Beth is a good girl who volunteers for a church prayer and bible study group at the local prison. Beth is assigned to Daryl and sparks fly. AU no zombies
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, this is my first multi chapter of Bethyl and the first time planning my fic! I am excited to hear what you all think and I hope you like it! This week we meet Beth, no Daryl yet he is next week but here meet sweet Beth and the story begins...**

"Girls if you do not get down here right now me and daddy are leavin' without ya!" Beth sighed and rolled her eyes before shouting back "Comin' mama!" and grabbing her cardigan. She was always cold, always sick, she was the youngest of a house of outgoing and confident people who had coddled and babied her, her whole life. Beth Greene was funny and sweet and a little immature but excited for the next step in her life.

She had just turned eighteen and still did everything like she always did, still got her chores done early and helped her mother in the kitchen. Her elder sister Maggie and her were close, but she was always bugging her about doing something. Beth knew what her sister meant, now she didn't have grades to keep up and cheerleading to practice she needed to work out what she wanted next.

Her friends were all planning to go to college, but Beth wanted to stay home where she was safe, she didn't even know what she would study anyway! All she enjoyed doing was riding her horse and singing, niether were real jobs so she thought she might just help out on the farm until she knew for sure what she wanted. She knew all too well that her parents liked that idea and her father often joked that she would be living with them even when she was married...something that often led to him arguing with Maggie!

By the time they got to church Beth was by her sister's side, holding her bible and a pen and notebook to take notes during the sermon. She always did this and had a lot of journals of church sermons as well as just what happened in her life. Her family and friends always teased her about her obsession with taking notes but she just did not want to miss anything.

The sermon seemed to drag today, it was hard to concentrate while everyone around her was fidgeting and waving fans trying to keep cool in the stifling heat of summer. Beth pulled her cardigan around her and frowned, she was always cold and she started to wonder if there was something more wrong with her than just chronic anaemia.

The end of the service came before they knew it and she thankfully broke away from her family and went to find her friends. The building adjacent to the church was where coffee and tea were served along with donated cakes and sandwiches, her mother's cakes always went quickly so Beth hurried to get some.

Her friends were outside watching the boys play football and wondering who was going to pair up with who over the holidays before they all went away. Beth was not interested in idle gossip so she drank her ginger ale and ate her cake on the steps as they talked above her. She scooted to one side as the minister came down the steps handing out leaflets to all the girls and talking about how gracious it would be for each of them to sign up. How not everyone was as lucky as them, and how these prisoners needed guidance and showing that good people existed.

Beth's eyes widened at the mention of prisoners and she looked down at the leaflet:

'Pray with a prisoner!

Sign up now to be a part of a revolution, we need to keep god in every house even a prison!

Come to a weekly prayer meeting and bible study with a prisoner you will be paired with.

Spread God's love and help someone who is lost find the light!'

Her eyes narrowed as she thought about inspiring and helping someone in need, on top of that she would be doing something to step out of her comfort zone just like Maggie had been saying for as long as Beth could remember. She frowned as she noticed her friends saying how mad their parents would be if they signed up, but she stood up and chased after the minister "Reverend Stokes? Can you sign me up please?" he looked doubtful so she kept talking so he couldn't convince her out of it. "I want to help someone who isn't as lucky as me just like you said and it says here at the bottom you will be chaperoning us? So I will be safe yes? Please?"

He smiled softly and nodded, "Now Beth I have asked you before to call me Gabriel. Yes I will sign you up, but if your parents feel this is not the right thing for you then you let me know and we will find you something to do at the church okay?" she nodded used to people talking down to her.

The following weeks went by in a blur as her mother had her helping to make jams and pickles ready for the coming winter. She loved working in the kitchen with her mother and wished Maggie was more interested in helping than working the fields with the men. The two sisters were so different, Maggie had no idea how to bake a cake, but then Beth had no idea how to shoe a horse! It was clear that Beth had been kept inside and looked after more than her elder siblings and though it had never started to bother her, now she was eighteen she was feeling the urge to spread her wings.

Hearing the post lady she skipped off to the porch and collected the letters, she shuffled through though she never got post. Most of it was for her father, but then the last but one letter was for her. Beth's eyes widened and she bit her lip, "I'm feeling tired mama I think I'll go lie down a while!" her mother hummed her agreement and Beth tried not to scamper upstairs in her excitement.

She had started to worry that Father Gabriel had not put her name down for the programme when she had heard nothing, but here she was holding a letter. She shut her door and turned on her music before plopping down on her stomach on the bed, she opened the letter eagerly and read the letter. It told her about it being on a saturday afternoon twice a month and how these prisoners would be looking forward to meeting her. She was excited and scared of the thought of meeting an actual criminal but when she read the name at the bottom Daryl Dixon she smiled. It felt better now she knew his name and she could not wait to go on Saturday.

 **I hope you liked it please leave me a review and I hope you will like and follow along with this story! Next week we see how Daryl is living and find out why is there and how he comes to be signed up for the same programme as Beth!**


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl had been laying in his bunk, his arms up with his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling for what felt like hours. He was always an early riser, it came from years of trying to be up and out the house before his father woke. He would spend hours sometimes days out in the woods that surrounded their town hunting, following one deer until he had it and could be sure of having some food to eat. His brother had taught him how to hunt when he was small as a way to be sure they did not have to pay for meat but also a way to get out the house and calm his anger.

He had grown up to be a quiet man who knew it was better to say nothing at all than to talk on and on because that led to trouble. His older brother on the other hand had never learned this lesson and barely stopped talking to catch his breath. Merle was not a nice man, he had his opinions and you better listen and agree or you would find a fist in your face. He often spoke for Daryl who followed him round always knowing he was better with his brother than alone. Merle would often get so drunk or drugged up on whatever was available he wouldn't remember what happened when Daryl wasn't around, so staying with him was much better.

It was one of the nights Daryl was not with him that it had happened, Merle had woken up the next morning covered in blood and no memory of what had happened. When they opened the local paper it all became clear, Merle had attacked and almost killed a local drug dealer because he was addicted and did not have the money to pay. It would be Merle's third arrest and so when the sheriff came to arrest him Daryl had stepped forward. He had claimed it was him to attack because he was desperate to help his brother, so here he was facing years ahead of him.

He kept his head down, did what was asked of him and barely spoke up he went to church in the prison every Sunday and was teaching himself to read in the library. He was determined to come out of that place a better person he hadn't done the thing he was in there for but he was no idiot. His brother was gone and he never saw anyone so he was on his own and he was determined he was not going to blindly follow Merle around anymore. Once he was out of there he was going to get a job, maybe as a mechanic he was good at fixing things.

His daydreams of the future and memories of why he was there faded when the lights flickered on and the doors opened. It was time to start the day, first they were herded into the cafeteria where some sort of food was dished out and Daryl ate it without comment nor complaint. Then they were allowed to shower if they wanted and given fresh clothes every few days. Today Daryl decided to shower and changed into fresh clothes, the white jumper and sweatpants were far from ideal but he went with it.

By late morning he would be working as a mechanic in the workroom, or taking classes like in plumbing or he was in the library. Daryl had signed up for anything that could possibly get him a job and was looking for things that could get him early parole. At 3pm they were all sent outside to have an hour in the fresh air, out there Daryl ran round and round trying to keep his fitness up. And now at about 4:30 he was back in his cell reading a book about birds, well until one of the guards came to get him.

Handcuffed he was led to the church where Father Gabriel was waiting for him "Daryl! I just wanted to check in with you. How are you feeling?" he shrugged, he wanted to give a smart reply but knew that the priest did not deserve that. "I wanted to let you know I signed you up for a new programme I am running here. It will be on a Saturday afternoon, I checked and you do not have anyone on your visitor list? So instead of having someone see you I thought you might enjoy this?"

Daryl frowned and looked down at the leaflet "Pray with a prisoner is something I am running through my church which is based in a local town? Some of my most loyal congregation have signed up. It will be an hour where they will pray with you one on one and have a bible study...I know you are not Christian son, but I signed you up because meeting someone good like Beth will help you I think. She just turned eighteen so I didn't want to put her with someone who...well you seem like you would be a gentleman to her. She might want to write to you as well maybe hearing about life going on outside will help you to feel the world is not so small like it can feel in here."

Daryl nodded though he had still not spoken, he felt overwhelmed, he had never beenn good with women...well older women he was a gentleman around but young women? What if she was pretty? What if he liked her? She would think the worst of him how could he ever pray and talk about the bible when he could barely read? This would be a nightmare, but he could never say all of this to a priest who thought he was doing a good thing?

He nodded again and looked down "Thank ya, appreciate it" he said softly. the priest seemed mollified by this and smiled wide. He nodded at the guard who came to take him back to his cell, he had agreed and why he had no idea! On the way back to his cell he tried to work out why he had, but no matter what he thought up it made no sense even to him. There were far more reasons to say no, to just stay in the lane he was, he kept this up he could be out soon. Yet he numbly held his hands out for the guard to remove the handcuffs and walked back to his bunk still with no idea what he had got himself into.

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and meeting Daryl in this verse. Next time we will see what happens when he meets Beth for the first time! Please like, follow and review to keep me writing and we shall be back next week! The plan is to write a couple chapters a week so I hope you enjoy xx**


	3. Chapter 3

Beth Green was sat in her car looking up at the intimidating building wondering what the hell she was doing? How could it be that she had signed up for this voluntarily? Then she remembered all the bible verses her father had read to her about not judging others and how Jesus calls all Christians to help others. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath for courage before climbing out of the car and getting the bag of cookies she had made out of the back seat. Her mother had taught her it was good to meet new people with a gift, and though she did not know this man she knew her raspberry and white chocolate cookies were always a hit with her father so that was what she had made.

She watched as Father Gabriel and the other volunteers started to get the bibles and notepads out of his trunk and she went to join them. She could feel her legs were shaking and as if she did not feel bad enough lying to her family and friends she also was struggling to concentrate on her minister! He was telling them all about how the bibles and materials will be given in at the reception desk to be searched and given back to them when they had the room set up.

It was clear that he felt excited everyone had turned up and confident about what they were to expect. Beth wished she could feel the same, her legs were like jelly and though she was trying to calm herself down her hands were shaking far more than she wanted. She had dressed modestly but she was still wearing the cowboy boots that drove her mother crazy and as she glanced around she could not help but wonder if she should have dressed a little smartly.

She took a small box of bibles and swallowed hard as they followed the minister to the reception. The person behind the counter did not smile back when their eyes met, instead she took the box and the cookies from her. Beth tried to make it clear who they were for but nothing was put on them to make it sure they would get back to him. She was already feeling frazzled and she needed to be searched next!

She raised her arms when asked and was patted down, her small bag was emptied and searched and by the time they had done that her ponytail was falling out and she wanted to scream! Instead she sent up a silent prayer and followed the minister through to the meeting room. There were guards everywhere and she felt like she could do nothing without them suspecting her of something though she had no idea what!

The area was pretty large, with picnic style tables throughout the room, all made of metal and looking far from clean. They stood around for what felt forever before the things they had bought with them were returned and they could set up. All the time Father Gabriel was regaling them with stories about times he had spent with the prisoners and how they were a good group of men though they should never give out personal information!

Beth rolled her eyes and started to put the bibles on each table and wondering what Daryl Dixon would be like. She pictures a stocky man with a shaved head and inside she was sure she would just throw up all over him though she was hopeful she was wrong!

By the time they had everything set up and she was sat in her seat she really honestly was glad the prison would not allow her to simply run away. She wished she had her bag with her chewing gum inside but they had kept that and she would not get it back until they left. She sighed as she fiddled with the sign that said her name so Daryl would know where to sit, she was scared and couldn't help but tear a little at the edge.

Then she heard a noise at the far end of the room and a door swung open, two more guards walked through followed by seven men, all handcuffed and wearing less than nice outfits. Beth's eyes were almost the size of her head they were so wide, and she was self-consciously pulling her pink jumper down and making sure her side ponytail looked okay. She was breathing heavy as she watched the men wander around followed by guards telling them where to sit and giving them orders.

Beth cleared her throat as a man with long, greasy hair took the seat opposite her, he looked moody like he did not want to be there and she felt so scared. She gave him a shy smile and he nodded his head, before he shook his head in a way to move his hair from his face. As soon as he did this she saw his eyes and felt her heart quicken, he was gorgeous...rough certainly and nothing like the boys she usually liked but maybe that was what this was?

She picked up the bible quickly and swallowed thickly before pushing the notepad and pencil towards him. "H-hi I am Beth Greene, it is nice to meet you Daryl" she said shyly, he did not respond instead he looked down and grunted. It was easy to see he did not want to be there, he had still not spoken and she had been told some of the men could not write so instead of letting him embarrass himself she bit her lower lip, "I can take the notes if you want?"

His expression changed and he lifted his head, his brow furrowed and his voice angry, "I can write!"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head "Oh no I just...I am sorry Daryl Father Gabriel said not everyone could and I didn't want you to feel bad. I am sorry, I made you some cookies they took them off me but hopefully you will get them and maybe that can make it up to you?" she said with a shrug. Daryl's body relaxed and he nodded, still saying nothing Beth was certain that he did not like her, but she felt very differently and couldn't help giving him a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl was sitting at his desk writing some notes from a large textbook when the guard came to get him, he huffed even more when he said Father Gabriel had asked them to make sure he came. Sure this would look good on his parole application but was it really worth it? He sighed and turned as the guard patted him down and then cuffed him, he followed behind the other inmates and wondered how many of them were there for the same reason as him? Sure there were some genuine Christians in the prison but they were few and far between, he glanced at Mickey Fitch and sniffed, he knew for a fact he was not for real!

They left them cuffed as they filtered them into the room and Daryl couldn't help but feel embarrassed to be in front of these 'do gooders' who probably were only there to add up the ticks in the good column before they died! He bent his head forward so his hair covered his face and was led to a table with a sign with his name on. He noticed it looked like someone had been ripping it and wondered what had happened to it.

Once the cuffs were off he rubbed his sore wrists and sat down, it was only when he noticed the girl sat that did he move his hair. She looked terrified, but she was so beautiful, her big blue eyes pulling him in like magnets and he fought to look away as he swallowed hard. She greeted him but he could only grunt in response, his brain had stopped working! What the hell was the minister thinking allowing such a girl to come in this place? Daryl threw him a scathing look and shook his head angry that she was there and feeling protective of her though he was unsure as to why.

She passed him a bible and he looked at the shiny new copy that he could hear the minister saying was theirs to borrow during the meetings. Her bible was well worn and he glanced up at her as she took the pencil and mentioned writing. Something snapped and he spoke to her badly, she apologised for assuming he couldn't write and he honestly did not think he had ever felt worse in his life! He picked up the pencil and the notepad and she did the same her bible sat on the table next to a piece of paper with some verses written on them. He had no idea what they were going to do and felt wound up and nervous not wanting to do the wrong thing.

He chewed his lip and spun the pencil nervously in his fingers as she mentioned baking him cookies. He looked up at her with confusion, "I don't need charity! " he cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the table with a heavy sigh, "I just...thanks for bakin' but I can get by don't want to be a bother."

She nodded and smiled softly, "It is no bother Daryl, I can call you Daryl right? You can call me Beth. Anyway I hope you get them okay and if you have any preferences just tell me I love to bake!" His brow furrowed with confusion, what was her deal? Nobody could be this nice! He felt like he was on the back foot and glanced around the room to see that everyone else was already reading their bibles.

She cleared her throat and smiled, "We should pray before we start would you like me to do it?" He put the pencil down and nodded, his hands coming together and his eyes screwed shut like she had seen children in Sunday school learning to pray. Beth simply bowed her head and started to speak, "Father God thank you so much for bringing Daryl into my life, I know he is struggling Lord so I ask that you look after him and help him to achieve his dreams. I pray that you bless our bible study today and help us to understand your word in Jesus name we pray amen."

Daryl opened one eye to see her looking at him, he sat up and sniffed, he had not said amen and he felt stupid for having done it in the first place. Why did it matter what she thought of him? Why did he care she was just some girl trying to impress mommy and daddy it annoyed him. "What your daddy say about you being here girl?" he asked his voice coming out more gruff than he had wanted.

She raised a brow "It's Beth!" then she shuffled things around and looked away from him, "Besides my parents don't know! I am old enough to make my own decisions, how old are you?" she asked glancing up at him.

He swallowed and shrugged, "How come they don't know? I'm 25 why?"

She sighed and glanced up at Father Gabriel thankful he was helping someone and not paying attention. "Well my Daddy is very protective and...well they are old fashioned. I grew up on a farm, I'm the youngest and I always did what I was supposed to so it would shock them, or they would talk me out of it and I kinda wanted to do something for myself you know?" she asked looking up at him with those big, blue eyes that almost killed him.

He swallowed and nodded, "Makes sense, but then I guess they's right not wantin' you here" he said with a shrug. "How old are you anyway you look about 12!" he said with almost a smile.

She looked up through her eyelashes and saw that his expression had softened, "I just turned eighteen. All my friends are going away to college, but I can't decide what I want to do. I might just stay home for a while my parents are getting older and I can help out!" she said with a shrug.

He nodded and fiddled with the paper, his heart was hammering in his chest, how on earth was he meant to just talk to this girl when she was so cute and she wanted to stay home and help out on the farm? He always dreamed of living out in the middle of nowhere, working the land and hunting. Here she was with everything he wanted and every opportunity he never had, and yet he felt happy for her. She was genuine, he was good at sensing people and he realised he didn't want the study to end.

She bites her lip and smiles, "So you want to start? I thought we would look into forgiveness?" He picked up his bible when she did and though she was telling him about the verse they were going to read he was not listening. He had no idea what to do and instead of going to the right book of the bible he just went to the first page. Beth smiled and reached over before flicking easily to the right page and passing it back to him. He frowned confused as to why they were starting to read half way through the book.

Then he realised she had stopped talking and he looked up to see her looking amused, " Sorry I didn't sleep well!" he says as a stupid excuse then decides to just write down everything she says and hope it makes sense later. Nobody had ever shown him how to take notes and he often found himself writing whole chapters from the textbooks so he could read them again. He assumes this is how it is meant to be and though Beth notices him basically writing everything down she doesn't say anything not wanting to embarrass him.

They had not finished the study when the guards started to tell the inmates to help pack away. Beth pushes her own notes over to him, "If they let you keep these you can use my notes if you want?" Daryl almost smiles at her and nods before stuffing it down his trousers, he notices her look away embarrassed, but it's clear she soon realises why as each prisoner is patted down before being cuffed. He smiles and lifts his hand in goodbye before being taken away mentally wondering if he can get a copy of the bible in the library.

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter, next week we are seeing things from Beth's perspective and find out what happens when she gets home. Please follow and review it keeps the muse from getting bored and thank you for reading.**


End file.
